Cele"break"tion

Well.....The second half of our week wasn't as wonderful....We left the Cabin for "Celebration" It is where a group of Churches from Florida (for more info, look at the link on the side Sovereign Grace Ministries) all related to Sovereign Grace Ministries gets together for some fun time, teaching time, and just enjoy each other! It is a hilight of our year everytime we go! This year was no exception! We headed to High Springs on Thursday Morning and met up with some friends. We spent the day unpacking and waiting for the rest of our room mates to arrive. We stayed in a lodge that holds about 26 people...We were packed in there! As soon as we get there, we notice this horrible smell! yuck! It smelled like a dead animal. We proceeded to unpack and put our stuff away. with the doors open, the smell was not that bad...except for when we left and came back in! We didn't let that bother us...we were at Celebration!! We enjoyed the rest of the day and the next morning! I want to back up for a minute...at our personal retreat, and for those of you who have no idea what I mean by that....we took some time away and were asking God about different areas our life..What would he have us doing...are we doing too much? not enough? We prayed about growing in godliness, our work at home or at a job, loving our family, relationships, what should we be working on...I felt like I needed to be more focused on caring for my family. I tend to be too others oriented and I believe that God was bringing my heart back home....Joe felt like he wanted to be more dependant on God...little did we know...God would put those words into action Friday afternoon....

I was playing scrabble tucked away in an rv,trying to shut the world out...me...some good friends and a scrabble board....oh yeah...Joe and Libby were on the soccer field...getting dirty and working off some energy...

I was getting phone calls and was ignoring them....We only had a little time to play and I wanted to just enjoy the moment...I didn't answer this last call from my friend, Lisa Taylor...I thought, I would just call her back when we finished....well...shortly after that, a knock came at the door and there was Lisa's husband, Nate...he peeks in the door and asked if I was in there and shouts...."Tammy, Joe broke his ankle, he needs you!" (or something close to that) Oh My!!!!!! I ran to the soccer field and there was Joe laying on the ground, Libby sweetly holding his hand...people all around...By God's grace, there was a doctor that attended...he was setting Joe's leg in a soccer shin guard and telling me that Joe has broke his ankle and needs to get to the hospital...I start to feel panic rising...Someone had called an ambulance, but they tell me we should just go by car.. Several guys get him into a suburban and a dear sweet man from the Gainesville church offered his wife to show us the way...I am totally panicked now...Every one is trying to tell me what they think I should do and I am just in slow motion...I cannot even think! We make our way to the hospital which is 20 minutes away. I felt like it took forever. We got there and they are very slow getting us in. I of course want to say things I shouldn't and I did have to go back and tell one lady sorry for being rude...She said it happens all the time...but I explained that is no excuse for being unkind...

He gets back in a room and I knew it had to be bad when they were all talking about they thought it would have broke through the skin....It looked awful! yuck! The bone was sticking out on the side and it looked like his whole leg was shifted to the side...I know then this can't b e good....

The ER doctor tells me to come and look at the xrays..He says there is 3 breaks and his ankle has popped out of the socket. He says that he will set it and the take xrays again and send for the surgeon...WHAT??? I am thinking? this can't be happening! Joe is the strong one....I get the sense that this will be a long day....

We arrived at 3:30 or around there and by this time it has been atleast 3 hours and Joe has had no pain medicine or nothing to drink..He is asking but they tell him no...He makes a comment that he sort of understands how Lazarus felt....(read Luke 16:19-31 in the bible and you can see what story I am talking about)

The ER doc comes back in and says that he needs to set Joe's ankle before he gets more xrays and goes up for surgery.I gladly leave the room and our friend Sue Thompson stayed (an ER nurse friend of ours) it took a few minutes..I went back in and Libby got to come in and see her daddy...

after a little bit, we head up to the Operating area...before we go, the ER doc makes a comment, he is saying we are in luck...the Doctor on call is an ankle and foot specialist!! (luck? with God, luck has nothing to do with it! He was taking care of us and he saw fit to bless us with this wonderful Dr. Maxey!)

around 8:30 that night, after being there since 3:30, Joe is now heading back to surgery...He broke 3 bones in his ankle: the tibia, which goes up the leg and bones on each side of the ankle. So...altogether he dislocated his ankle, broke 3 bones...The tibia was broke completely in half, the bones on either side of his ankle were busted up and pieces broke off....my poor baby!!

I meet Dr. Maxey who is now my hero! She tells me she will do an open reduction internal fixation. She hopes that it is all done inside. He will have plates and screws and he broke it up pretty bad. If the skin was messed up from being swollen so long, she would have to do the outer one with screws on the outside...Was she kidding? I would throw up every time I saw it!! I was doing some serious praying...

The surgery took longer than I thought..I was brave up until the end..I was pacing and praying and hoping for the best...her she comes...God give me strength...it was all done inside...Thank-you God! She put 8 screws and a plate on one side and 2 screws on the other. She said she was trying to fit the back in, which is attached to ligaments, and she could not get it to go back right...she had to go in through the fracture and saw that there were chips embedded in that bone and they would need to be removed..so.... out goes the screws, bone pieces removed and everything put back together.....I thanked her, and she left...at this point...the tears are coming down and the praise is going up....Thank-you God for your hand upon Joe's body...for seeing us through when fear overtook me...I will praise you all the days of my life...

What was that God showed us earlier? That I would be caring more for my family..and now, there was no doubt what I will be doing and Joe? I believe that he walked out dependence through this!

We were 2 1/2 hours away, so getting home was tricky. we ended up loading Joe up in the back of the jeep on an air mattress and propped up with lots of pillows! We are home!

we spent 2 days in the hospital and missed Celebration, but we were full...of God's kindness on our life.... There just happened to be a Doctor on site...Thanks Dr. Brady and we just happened to have an ankle specialist at the Hospital! thanks Dr. Maxey! and We were above and beyond cared for....There are people cutting our grass...meals coming......people stopping by...phone calls coming...prayers being prayed...What are we lacking? absolutely nothing! God has been very good to us....Our savior, our friend.....Thank-you God for your kindness!

Joe will be out of work for about 3 months....he won't be able to walk on that foot for 2 months....We are thankful that he has 1600 hours of sick leave....No driving a mail truck for him! and God has provided for our family as we await his recovery! I think we are very full...very full indeed!